Adobe Western Railroad

If you are looking for a quick, fun date on a Sunday afternoon, a ride on the Adobe Western Railroad will be a perfect outing. The railroad is run by members of the Maricopa Live Steamers Railroad Heritage Preservation Society, who build and maintain the scaled trains and the tracks. There are several trains, replicas of real trains, but built on a small scale.

The tracks travel through the desert, and the club has built towns and props along the tracks, also on a small scale. To date, there are over 14 miles of track, which runs through the desert area behind Wet n' Wild water park.

The train ride, only 30 minutes long, is short to be an entire date, but it is an interesting and enjoyable activity. Just plan to get lunch or ice cream before or after your ride. Or plan to go on a special night ride during the Christmas season. Check their website, www.maricopalivesteamers.com, for dates and times.

You will probably have to wait for a few minutes for the train to pull into the station, and there is a little "western village" and a pleasant, shady park area in the boarding area. We didn't see water fountains, although there were porta-potties.

The train rides are free, but donations are accepted. We didn't feel pressured to make a donation- there was just a large donation jar as you exited, and you could drop in money or not. The trains run on the Sundays between Labor Day and Memorial Day, from noon till five. The last boarding is at 4:30 pm. Adobe Western Railroad is located on 43rd Ave. just south of Pinnacle Peak Road.